Synthetic refers to a man-made material with a natural counterpart. The synthetic crystal replicates the chemical, optical and physical properties of the natural crystal with little or no variation. One of the most popular methods for creating synthetic emerald is the hydrothermal process, which uses heat and pressure to imitate natural conditions deep in the earth that formed natural gems. Nutrients are dissolved in a water solution with synthetic crystals forming as the solution cools. Synthetic emeralds offer you the best of both worlds. You get the beauty of a beloved, rare gemstone, but at a budget-friendly price!

Refractive index, birefringence, optic character distinguished beryl from other materials, but magnification is essential for separating synthetic beryl from natural material. Overgrowth synthetic emerald reveals itself in differences between the natural seed core and the synthetic layer grown over the seed.

ClassificationComments

Misnomer: cultured emerald

Emerald-synthetic-overgrowth-hydrothermal chemistry & crystallography

ChemicalName

beryllium aluminum silicate

ChemicalFormula

Be3Al2(SiO3)6

Synthesis

overgrowth hydrothermal

CrystalSystem

Hexagonal

ChemistryClassification

Silicate

Nature

Synthetic

Crystallinity

Crystalline

ChemistryComments

Emerald-synthetic-overgrowth-hydrothermal optical properties

Transparency

Transparent - Translucent

Dispersion

OpticalComments

RefractiveIndex

1.566-1.57

Birefringence

0.006-0.006

OpticCharacter

Uniaxial

OpticSign

Negative

PolariscopeReaction

Doubly Refractive (DR)

Fluorescence

SWUV: Weak to moderate red in the synthetic layer LWUV: Moderate to strong red in the synthetic layer

The colorless beryl core can sometimes be seen underneath the synthetic emerald layer. Immersion is sometimes helpful to detect the overgrowth or sandwich layers. Overgrowth stones will have natural emerald inclusions in the core and will have a poor polish to avoid removing the synthetic overgrowth layer. The surface of the stone might exhibit oriented strain cracks.